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Today's Opinions

As a parent whose children attend Body Camp Elementary School and as a resident of Bedford County, I feel the need to make the residents of Bedford County aware of the effects of closing small schools in rural areas. I am originally from Logan County, W.Va., and I have seen first-hand the devastation that this can leave behind. If you think that because your children do not attend Body Camp or Thaxton Elementary, which are slated to for closure, that this will not affect you – think again!

I spent last week’s President’s Day district work period traveling around Southern and Central Virginia, talking to business leaders, workers, educators, and others about what it’s going to take to rebuild the economy of our region. From Ruckersville to South Boston to Lawrenceville to Gretna, citizens were full of ideas about what we can do to create more jobs and provide Virginians with some economic relief.

This past week, we scored a major victory for common sense, for competition, for consumers, and for bipartisanship in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House passed my bill H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, on an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 406-19. I’m proud that my name is on the first truly bipartisan health care reform bill to pass the U.S. House.

This week President Barack Obama sat down with a bipartisan group of House and Senate Members to discuss health care reform. While only time will tell I hope that this signals a true turning point in the health care discussion. The American people have repeatedly called on Washington to scrap these massive health care bills in favor of a more modest approach. I have held town hall meetings, telephone town hall meetings, and I’ve received thousands of letters, phone calls and e-mails from folks all across the Sixth Congressional District and the message is simple: Was

A lot happened in Richmond this week – and almost all of it had to do with Virginia’s budget. Delegates approved their version of the budget and Senators voted on theirs. Now, both sides meet to reach an agreement. The House’s negotiating team is led by Lacey Putney, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and my neighboring colleague. Clearly, his presence benefits our region.

As a former student at Body Camp Elementary School in what seems like a lifetime ago, I have to say that I was moved to see parents of students there, and at Thaxton Elementary, stand up publicly for their schools and implore the superintendent not to allow them to be closed.

But I also had to think - even before I saw an editorial in the Roanoke Times - that, well…there’s an old saying in politics: You get what you vote for.